Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Ito-ya's Special Request

We love Japan. Darren's even run a marathon there. We also love Ito-ya. A magical store of paper, design, and stationery, Ito-Ya shares the same love we have for Charley Harper. For their new flagship store they wanted to create something truly special. They wanted something sleekly modern with an appreciation of the past. What better than a personalized clock featuring a glockenspiel and a one-of-a-kind Baffling Belly Charley Harper sculpture?

We worked with Ito-ya and Seiko to upscale our Baffling Belly decorative sculpture. The originals are all hand-carved from a single piece of solid wood, but this one would have to do something the smaller models cannot do....move. This red-headed woodpecker had to turn its head and peck to mark the time. Drawings and specifications were exchanged and the model was delivered.

The next step was the movement construction and sound tests. Several materials with different resonances and tones were tested. The clapper's movement had to be synced up with the bird's movement...as you can see in these tests.

The result is a wonderful design that perfectly fits the aesthetic and feeling of Ito-Ya. We are so happy to be part of this project. Working closely with our customers to create unique pieces is one of our favorite things. And, of course, creating creatively design-forward decorative pieces is another. :-D